1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an animal bed and, more particularly, to an animal bed that is chilled by a refrigerant.
2. Description of the Background Art
The background art contains examples of cooled pet beds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,924 to Zwicker et al. discloses an animal shelter with a circumferential support element and a support skeleton, both of which can be filled with a cooling gel material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,693 to Arnold discloses a cooled pet bed. The bed includes a recess that is dimensioned to receive a container of ice.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,214 to Cunningham discloses a heated bed for animals. The bed includes inner and outer shells that define an interior volume suitable for containing a liquid having a high thermal capacity such as water. Thermostatic controls are provided for controlling an electric heater that can selectively heat the water within the bed.
Although each of these inventions achieves its own individual objective, none of the background art provides a system for regulating the temperature of a series of kennel beds by way of a refrigerant. The present invention is aimed at fulfilling this need.